Restaurant Manager Jobs

Restaurant manager jobs… did you know?

Every morning you’ll go into work, survey the restaurant and know this is your world, your castle – and you rule your domain. You’ll have tasted life on the restaurant floor as waiting staff, and maybe you’ll even have worked in a kitchen. You’ll know how to inspire your workers with a vision of delicious food for all. You’ll know what makes customers want to visit your restaurant and come back time and time again.

But a thriving restaurant that’s on everyone’s lips isn’t just about great food and amazing service. You’ll have a real business head on your shoulders, too. From how much money is going out to how best to make money come in, you’ll oversee every aspect of the business.
Sounds like a tasty career option? Read on…

Restaurant manager job trends

How much money can you make as restaurant manager?

£18,000 – £45,000 (UK average)
Recent labour market information says you can earn on average between £18,000 and £45,000 a year as a restaurant manager in the UK.

What entry qualifications and training do you need for this job?

School, college and training

Although you can start on the restaurant floor (or in the kitchen) and work your way up, you’ll find the needs of the role easier if you’ve locked in your number skills with qualifications.

You’ll find GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A* to C) useful, especially in English and maths. You could also build up your skills and knowledge with a hospitality qualification. No-one magically knows how to run a great restaurant – there’s so much to learn, and a specialised qualification can help!

You could also study for further qualifications in catering (we’ve linked to apprenticeships listed with the Hospitality Guild).

Useful subjects to study at HNC/HND or degree level if you want a hospitality and catering career that’s a full feast, not just a starter:

Hospitality management

Hotel and catering management

Hospitality, leisure and tourism

Apprenticeships

You can enter the hospitality and catering industry with a hospitality apprenticeship. This will give you structured training while you work and earn, along with industry-recognised qualifications.

Example catering apprenticeships include:

Hospitality and Catering Apprenticeship

Food and Beverage Catering Management Apprenticeship

Hospitality Management Higher Apprenticeship

While at school or college, speak to your careers advisor about useful training and/or courses for you to take and find out more about the types of career routes available.

Management trainee schemes

Many large restaurant and fast food chains have management trainee schemes. A foundation degree or degree (along with hospitality and catering experience) will help you successfully apply for these.

A hospitality management trainee scheme is a not-to-be-missed way to work your way into catering management when you’re still young. You’ll gain insider knowledge and hands-on experience on the way, while getting a salary at the same time.

While at school or college, speak to your careers advisor about useful training and/or courses for you to take and find out more about the types of career routes available.

Career progression and further qualifications

You might think that as a restaurant manager you’re already at the top of the food chain (sorry, pun alert). However, with time and experience you could expand your reach to become a regional restaurant manager for larger chains.

You could also take your skills in a slightly different direction and become a hotel manager. Once you’ve got management experience in the catering industry, a lot of career doors are wide open to you.

What experience do you need for restaurant manager jobs?

Work experience

When you’re working at management level, your employers need proof that you can handle the responsibility they want to give you. That means you need relevant work experience. It also means you’ll usually need experience of leading a team.

You can start off building a relevant CV by getting work (part or full time) as counter service staff or waiting staff. This will help you learn the ins-and-outs of what it takes to make sure a restaurant runs smoothly.

Whenever you take on a role – whether it’s customer service or catering or anything else – aim to soak up as much as you can, always put in that little bit extra into everything you do, and put yourself forward as someone your managers can trust to handle extra responsibility. That’s a good way to become a team lead.

Volunteering

Volunteering offers lots of ways to boost your catering and hospitality CV – whether it’s supplying snacks and drinks to fun run contestants, help with meals on wheels or helping to feed the homeless in charity kitchens.

DID YOU KNOW? Nuns have opened a free food restaurant called ‘Nundos’ in Shoreditch, London. All the food they serve is free! And the Real Junkfood Project in Leeds, West Yorkshire, serves meals created from food donated by supermarkets that was just going to be thrown away. It’s still fresh, it’s tasty and customers can pay what they think the meal was worth. So there are lots of ways to combine catering with social awareness, even at restaurant management level!

What skills do you need for restaurant manager jobs?

Useful skills to highlight to your employer when applying for a restaurant manager job include::

Great communication skills – you’ll lead your workers in a way that makes them feel inspired and very sure of what’s expected of them. And, of course, you’ll be the one the restaurant customers turn to when things go very right – or very wrong! You’ll also be building good working relationships with food suppliers and all kinds of people associated with a well-run restaurant.

Leadership skills – you’re pretty much your own boss, so you’ll be great at managing your own time and tasks (as well as everyone else’s)..

Negotiation skills – who prices the menu choices? Who decides how to spend the budget? Who explores ways of getting great quality for cheaper? You do. Your sales and negotiation skills are very important when it comes to managing a restaurant that makes money instead of losing it.

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

What does a restaurant manager do?

You could be working in a café, independent restaurant, a restaurant that’s part of a chain, or a hotel.

Depending on your level of experience, your responsibilities could include:

Planning menus

Managing work shifts and rotas for everyone

Keeping a firm eye on stock control and budgets

Working with food and drink suppliers

Sticking to licensing laws and health and safety regulations (the last thing a customer wants to see on their plate is mouse droppings!))

Useful organisations and links for catering management careers

<h2 style=”clear: both;”>It’s free. It’s quick. And it could be a massive step forward in your career.</h2>
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